The fall is the best time of year to plant onions in the garden. And for many great reasons!
To begin with, it’s a welcome change of pace to be able to plant in the crisp autumn air. Especially after caring for, weeding, and harvesting the garden in the summer heat.
In addition, planting onions in the fall is the key to an earlier harvest in the spring. And to top it all off, the onions are bigger, sweeter, and more flavorful than ever before! With these advantages in mind, let’s have a look at how to plant fall onions successfully:
When Should You Plant Fall Onions?
When planted in the fall, onions require at least four to six weeks of warm weather to establish themselves. These are long-day onion types, as should be obvious from the name.
The middle of September is a good time to plant fall onion sets in Ohio and other areas. That allows the plants plenty of time to flourish before the winter arrives.
Onion sets are preferred to seed for planting. For starters, they are easy to sow and establish quickly in the ground. Planting seeds evenly can be a challenge. Weeds can quickly take over because they sprout and spread so thinly.
Finally, onion sets just produce larger bulbs. Onion sets are essentially sprouted and somewhat matured onion seeds. Because of this, they will grow larger and mature faster than other animals.
A mix of white, yellow, and red onions is frequently planted each fall to ensure a diverse crop the following year.
Seeds should be planted 3-4 weeks sooner than onion sets if you decide to go that route. This gives them a head start before they become dormant in the fall and grow a root system.
Getting the Soil Ready
Outstanding soil is the foundation for great onions, spring or fall. An onion’s optimal growing conditions are on soil that is free of stones, rich, and well-drained. Adding compost to the soil before planting is a huge benefit!
You must add compost to the bottom of the planting hole no matter how you plant.
Before planting, add a few inches of compost at the bottom of each row. Onion bulbs can grow swiftly in loose, nutrient-rich soil because of this.
If your soil is clay-like or hard, amending it is much more critical. Root crops are less likely to thrive in soil that is too hard. Prior to planting, amend hard soils using an equal mixture of compost and sand. As the bulbs begin to expand, this will aid in both drainage and root development.
Planting
Use a two-inch-deep and a few-inch-wide trench to plant your onion bulbs. A mattock, often known as a garden pick, is ideal for this job.
It’s easy to pull through the soil and digs a nice 2″ broad trench in no time at all with it.
Make sure that the trench is filled in with compost before planting. Once you’ve made the trench, plant the bulbs in it, putting them a little further into the compost. You should plant your bulbs so that the pointed end is facing up. This speeds up the germination process of the bulbs.
It’s best to keep your light bulbs 4 to 6 inches apart for the best results. Allows offering a lot of room for growth in terms of size. Fall-planted bulbs, which grow larger than spring-planted bulbs, require this precaution. The trench is filled with a mixture of soil and compost, and the bulbs are buried.
Long Term Care
Straw or shredded leaves should be piled on top of the crop after it has been sown. Weeds and water can be kept out of the garden by using this method. Allow the crop to germinate and sprout through the soil by keeping the cover light on.
Add a few more inches of straw or shredded leaves on top once the onions have broken through the surface. A thick layer of snow helps protect the crops from the harsh winter weather. Mulch your crop to a depth of 4 inches or more before the arrival of winter.
Weeds can be kept at bay by covering the area with a thick layer of mulch, too. In order for your onions to grow, you must keep weeds out of their path. The smaller the onion bulbs, the more weeds there are.
Watering Your Onions
Water your bulbs as soon as you finish planting them. Once the mulch is in place, it is best to water the onion sets. Set the bulbs down into the earth, and keep the mulch in place, with this method. For germination, it will help to keep moisture in the soil.
It is common for an onion crop to receive adequate rainfall in the autumn. The crop will be alright as long as it receives rain on a weekly basis. In the event of prolonged periods of dryness, make sure to water your crops as often as necessary to keep them moist. There is no need to water the crop when it is dormant during the winter.
When spring comes, your onions will start to grow again. They can be picked at any time as small onions, or they can be left to grow to full size and be picked in the middle to late summer.